


The Start

by cherrytxmato (orphan_account)



Category: Splatoon
Genre: M/M, boys!! love them!’
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:13:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24617383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/cherrytxmato
Summary: i am VERY happy to share this! rn, typing this on june 8th 2020, the fanfic is not finished, but it is being worked on! this is going to be a series about me and a friends ocs. although it’s still being worked on, i’m so excited to share it !!
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

_ “Honestly, what is wrong with you? You’re a fucking sick person. Why are you like this? I never understood why you had such a dull and apathetic attitude towards everything. Why? Why are you like this?” _

_ “God, I can never have a normal conversation with you. You never understand my point of view, ever. You’re so fucking stubborn, maybe realize that I’m not being dull and apathetic.” _

_ “You say everything so monotonous and casually, it’s annoying. Shut the hell up. I can’t take this anymore. You want to take away opportunities and stories for others all because of your own unhappiness. Just don’t bother anymore. Fucking kill yourself, I can’t reason with you anymore. I’ve had enough.” _

_ “Haha… hahahaha………” _

Those voices.

Something about them sounded so familiar to me. Yet, they were somewhat distorted. I can’t think straight at the moment, and I’m too exhausted to reason with my nightmares once again.

However, I don’t want to go back to sleep.

I’m terrified of drifting off to sleep, though. I don’t want to think of hurting myself again. I just want someone to hold me, to lull me to sleep, help me sleep soundly and softly.

Then I remember; him. He lies there beside me, and I remember his hefty arm snuggling me, holding me close and tight. I am safe with him, and nothing will happen when I’m with him.

Right?


	2. An Unwanted Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning!! there is abuse .

A seemingly cute looking kind of family, correct? A family of inklings, the wife of the bunch, was absolutely stunning. A slightly above average height woman with an easy on the eyes, desaturated light blue for an ink color on her flowing, lengthy tentacles that sway delicately through the winds as she walks along paths. Her silver eyes would pierce a man, and even a woman’s heart in an instant. Her gaze is mesmerizing, and it’s not a surprise that she’s in a marriage, of course. Yet, the husband’s a strange one. Not the most attractive looking man, in fact a bit of a squash. It’s funny to think of him as a squash with a beer belly for some reason. Then you have 2 lovely looking children, a girl with nice little pigtails who stands at 6 years old, and her much smaller 5 year old little brother, a little boy with a bowl cut that just barely delicately hovers over his horn rimmed glasses that rest on his face. The Vallet family, a photogenic bunch, it seems. 

Yet, something about this family feels so incredibly off. It all feels so forced, as if no one wants to be there. Nobody wants to take part in being in a supposedly nice and happy family. Because, in all seriousness, it isn’t any sort of cute family at all. It’s all just one big mistake that nobody wanted to be a part of. These parents were just chasing after lust, starving for one another, carelessly doing stuff at the wrong time. However, they were at a point where they just simply didn’t care anymore. If they don’t do the bare minimum of caring for their children, they are well aware of the repercussions they face with avoiding the responsibilities. It’s a shame, really. They take their own foolishness out on their children. If the children repent, then…

_ “What did your mother tell you about messing around with her stuff?” _

A deafening pop sound resonated throughout the house, along with the distressed, piercing squeals of a young girl. The son of the family that sat on the couch, looking down to avert any sort of eye contact with his mother, tried to focus his attention on something else, anything else. There was the television, playing faintly right in front of him, yet it was still loud enough for him to listen to by itself. He can’t block out those surroundings yet again, however. He just can’t. He just wants to focus on anything else for once, for the loud noises terrify him. Yet, he just… 

_ “Daddy, I’m sorry! Please! Stop!” _

_ “Stop fucking crying.” _

It won’t stop. None of it will stop already. All he wanted to do was run away, completely. Everyday, it was something. Screaming, being ignored, it’s like their voices were completely disregarded, and each breath they took was only taken away without a trace. It all felt so painfully loud at that moment to him, nothing seemed to..

“Oliver, stop making that face. It’s nasty looking,” Perking up as he heard the sultry, yet bone chilling voice of his mother's demanding words. With a meek voice, he piped up with an effort to not sound like he’s talking back, 

“I don’t like the noises, mommy.” 

“Tch, your sister shouldn’t be messing around with my stuff then,” She scoffed, lazily waving a hand at him to just go entertain himself outside or something. Frankly, each day, she got sick and tired of having to see her children everyday. All she contributes is more emotional and verbal abuse, as well as the tub of lard of a husband with his heavy, bear like hands. Why couldn’t the family be nice? Why was it always so chaotic? It was all too much for him, once again. He couldn’t withstand it anymore, and he found himself collapsed on the floor, his teardrops coming down onto his scraped knees, stinging the more recent scratches a bit. That’s when he heard that booming voice, bellowing out once again.

“Oliver, if you don’t stop crying, you’re gonna end up like Lillith. Do you understand? Go outside before I come over there and-“

Without hearing him go out on another tirade about how he’ll beat him to a blue little pulp, Oliver hurriedly made his way out the door, practically throwing himself in the grass as he let his snotty, rosy face get even more vile from the sprinkles of dirt making its way on it. Trying to shush his wails, Oliver toyed around with the dirt in the ground, grabbing clumps of it to throw in the air in an attempt to distract himself from all of the chaos that goes on. 

Then, as if it were some nice little silver lining, his eyes were met with a lovely patch of daffodils. They just sat in a patch of grass, grouped up in nice little rows. He just took a moment to admire them, how beautiful they were. It’s as if everything that had gone on before had faded away. All of those problems didn’t seem to exist as his gaze went deeper into the cute little petals, then back at that vacuum looking thing in the middle. It was just so mesmerizing, so cool.. 

Yet without even hesitating, for some reason he just..

Oliver found himself fisting clumps of these lovely flowers, brutally ripping them out from the dirt, shoving a bunch of them in his mouth at once. He wasn't strong enough to rip the flower out up to its bulb, but that had no importance. He couldn’t think straight, and for whatever reason, the only desire he had was to just shove a bunch of these damn flowers into his mouth. At last, he had decided to stop after coughing up bits and remains of some of the flowers he had consumed. He didn’t understand why he did what he did, he was only 5, after all. Yet, he couldn’t take it back. But the regret hit him not very long after. 

Still kneeling, he was retching, trying to let all of his nausea out. All he felt after that moment was immense pain, as if all he wanted to do was poop and puke and just explode all at once. After continuous amounts of excruciatingly painful retching, a waterfall of vomit with scattered petals was finally cascading from the deep roots of his throat. He couldn’t say anything, couldn’t scream out for help, all he was able to do was let his mouth hang agape as vomit poured down onto the grass and on his hands steadily gripping the ground. Oliver felt like he was just going to explode, like he was going to puke all of his organs out somehow and end up looking like a shriveled up, rotting apple core. All he could do was continue to throw everything up, before feeling his body finally giving out.

The last thing he saw was some faded vigente of a puddle of his puke before 

throwing up his last hurrah.

… 

_ “Ma’am, did you not think about watching your child?” _

_ “Ugh, I’m gonna be completely honest with you. Me and my husband were never really prepared to have kids, and…” _

_ “This is inexcusable. These children are not safe in your hands..” _

_ “Oliver.. Oliver.. Oliver!” _

At last, he had come to, his body heavy yet lying in an elevated space. Oliver had taken a moment to realize that he happened to be on a hospital bed, his family members sitting in front of him. Not just his mother, father and sister. His grandmother looked back at him, her face gentle yet coated with melancholy. Then there was the doctor, a seemingly intimidating man, yet as Oliver heard his voice while waking up, it was somewhat soothing to him. After hearing some lady call his name, he heard that voice speak once again. It belonged to his mother, beginning with a heavy sigh. “I think we can all agree that your father and I haven’t done the best for you and your sister. We were never really prepared for any of this, but I think after what just took place, it’d be better if you stayed with your grandparents from now on. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, we were—” She continued. “I was.. I was worried. But maybe it’s best for us if your grandparents take care of you from now on.” Although Oliver couldn’t get the gist of what she was saying for some bits, he could understand the situation in a nutshell. He was aware of the treatment he got from his parents. He was fully aware that there was something about him and Lillith that drove them away. He knew now that after he got a few more IVs to take care of whatever’s still left in his stomach that he wouldn’t see his parents again for quite a while. 

For the first time, it seemed like Oliver’s mother wanted to cherish the last couple of moments she had with her son. Her husband was only shamefully bowing his head, trying to hide away his sadness from the children he had taken his anger out on. He couldn’t take anything back, and while he felt that the burden of taking care of these children would be over..

He felt so guilty.

“Mommy’s leaving now,” She said, the first time she ever referenced herself in front of Oliver in some sort of nice, cutesy family kind of way. Some wholesome nickname that she barely considered ever using with the family situation they’re in. Once again, a first time for something; she had smiled at him, her face bittersweet. Oliver’s mother never gave him any sort of attention like that. She flashed that same smile at Lillith once last time. Grandma, the mother of the Vallet mother couldn’t help but give a cold glare, piercing the eyes of these practically shameful excuses of parents that just gave up. Her disappointment was immeasurable, and words couldn’t describe the seething rage she felt with the situation.

But at last, the pair exited. 


	3. A New Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new start !

Since that one day in June, things have only been looking up somehow. School just felt so nice to look forward to. Oliver was clearly more than ready to start the day, for he felt the most chipper he ever really did to just wake up. 

Things just felt a lot nicer within the past couple of months with being able to spend time with grandma around. 

“Oliver dear, can you please check to see if your sister’s awake? We need to get going soon!” Oliver responded back to the saccharine, patient voice of his grandmother’s.

“Sure!” Oliver had never been so peppy in the morning, yet today just felt like such a nice day. The hyperactive little boy giddily galloped his way into Lillith’s room, proceeding to take a giant leap off of the ground so his feet could stomp down when he’s out of the air, creating enough noise to earn a sleepy and agitated grunt from her.

“Ugh…. 5 more minutes..”

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” He continued to jump around until his sister finally gave in, exhaustingly rolling out of her comfy weighted blanket. She just lazily laid on the floor as Oliver got annoyingly close to her face, sniffing it a bit before deciding to be more annoying and say, “Your breath is stinky!”

“That’s cause I just woke up, stupid,” She sneered, then he just kind of stuck his tongue out and practically bolted out of her room. He spent the seemingly long 5 minutes that Lillith decided to take to get ready to just putz around a bit, and finally, she was dressed. Their grandmother got them matching overalls, which honestly look really cute to the outside eye. However, the 2 siblings don’t really want to match, for they just want to be their own person. 

Regardless, it was finally time for them to go out, the small old lady with her grandchildren in tow, shuffling her way into the driver’s seat and closing the door with one fell swoop, setting up the car to depart at last. Within 5 seconds of the car moving, the children were already so chipper and constantly asking, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” The sweet old grandma chuckled, her voice somehow full of kindness and life. 

“Now kids, we just got in the car! Don’t worry, it isn’t that far away.” Then the ride went on. Oliver just couldn’t contain his excitement! He found himself endlessly fidgeting in the car seat, the picture books in his backpack swiveling with each movement he made. Propping himself up on his booster seat so he could try to get ahold of the nice view around in his neighborhood. He never got a chance to actually walk around, for not only would he get himself lost, but no one would really bother to search for him. Same went for Lillith. But, finally, the 2 siblings had a chance to be infatuated with how pretty the last moments of summer were in the place they reside in.

Putting his hand against the window, Oliver could feel the warmth of the outside from his own fingertips through the car. It all just felt surreal. He looked out once again to see some leaves getting ready to float soundly, making their debut. The neighborhood was a cute little place, although filled and filled with trees that are scattered in a bunch of different directions. Along the way, Oliver saw a bunch of small and sweet home cottages with some patches of beautiful flowers that stand to guard the doors. Yet, among those flowers..

Among.. those flowers..

Oliver saw that distinctive feature that differentiates that one flower from the rest, and it sent him into some kind of mania. He completely erupted, a sobbing mess, snot hanging out of his little red nose as he continued to cry more and more. Grandma stopped driving for a moment, for she was concerned as to why her sweet little angel was in shambles. She called out to him, “Sweetheart, are you ok? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” 

“I-I saw,” he stammered as he spoke these words, tears continuing to cascade down his pale face. “I saw the flowers. The bad ones. Please, I’m so scared.” Lillith could only stare back in awe, reaching out her hand to hold Oliver’s trembling one, hoping it’ll put him to ease. It seems that Grandma had stopped the car in the right place, for the school was right in front of their very eyes. The exterior looked elegant, like some sort of pristine mansion. It was very comforting as Oliver tried to put his attention on that instead of his panic. As he was helped out of the car by his grandmother, she took the time to comfort him, embracing him close for a moment as she rubbed his back. 

“Oliver,” She began. “I will not let anything hurt you. I know you get scared after seeing those flowers, but they won’t hurt you. Nobody’s going to yell at you anymore, I promise. If anything ever happens, know that I will always be there. Now, have a great, amazing first day at school!” Although it was very difficult to listen when everything in his mind still felt a bit cloudy, he tried his very best to hear his grandma out, and it did help a bit. It seems that the siblings have finally arrived at what looked to be a rather beautiful, prestigious school. The doors wide open, they made their way inside.

Oliver couldn’t put it into words, it felt so amazing walking into such a big place. The first thing he noticed was a bunch of lights and stars hanging from the ceiling with some little doodles, presumably from the kids that attended this school before he did. He was mesmerized by the different colored banners, the variety was just so nice. It was very difficult to appreciate every little thing, for it was a lot to take in. Yet, the school just felt so calming to walk into. 

“Who’s your teacher?” Lillith asked Oliver. “I can take you to whoever it is before I go off on my own.”

“Uhh, I think it says,” Oliver was struggling to read this teacher’s name. It was a long blob of letters, and honestly, it was too much to comprehend. The name itself said “Schumacher”, but all he could really think of was.. “..shoemaker?” He looked up at Lillith, but looking up, it seems that no one was there. Figures, she probably met up with friends from last year’s class, so at this point, he was alone. Already, he had lost that nice feeling that was there when walking into the school. He was at a point where he was just petrified, not knowing where to go, and.. 

“Hey! Hey!” A somewhat taller, chunky looking kid was advancing towards him at full speed. Frankly, it was terrifying, being so small in such a big space and suddenly, this. Without thinking, Oliver let out a particularly pitchy squeak, tears coiling in the corners of his eyes once more. His voice quivering, he responded back,

“P-please don’t yell like that.. You really scared me.” The kid could only giggle, his smile was all dopey and cute. 

“Sorry! But I’m really bored! I dunno who to play with right now. Can you play with me? Please? By the way, my name is Zeke! Nice to meet ya!” This kid was sure.. hyperactive. He looked to be around the same age as Oliver, and despite his appearance, he seemed like a pretty happy-go-lucky kid. His tentacles were orange, forming some mohawk looking hairstyle. It was strange, but kind of funny. It reminded Oliver of a dinosaur’s spikes, so his anxiety was somewhat calmed down by the little funny observations. 

“Uh, I guess I can? What are we pl-“ 

Without even so much as a warning, Zeke practically slapped his hand onto Oliver’s shoulder as he yelled, 

“Tag,” and took off.

He could tell that his time in school would be rather confusing, yet fun. Suddenly, a woman’s voice was melodically singing throughout the corridor. 

“Kindergarteners, this way! Ms. Schumacher’s class!” Was this his teacher? That’s what her name kinda sounded like anyways, but regardless, Oliver made his way over there.


	4. Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new friend

All of the children were now in this roomy class. It was a rather small bundle of kids, yet the classroom itself wasn’t lacking in size. 

There were cute little tables in different places with small chairs, and on the tables were a variety of building blocks for the children to entertain themselves with. In the rear view, the bookshelves were more like small cubbies, containing more toys and books categorized by reading level with different letters written on them. There was also a small little storage closet. The carpets that lie on the floor look very fun to run amok on them, but perhaps the teacher wouldn’t really appreciate that. Close to the bookshelves was a room, curtains draping on both sides. Inside, Oliver could faintly make out a few beds. Is there a nap time? Please, dear God, let there be a nap time. Oliver is so sleepy. After leading the children in her comfy classroom, Ms. Schumacher took the time to introduce the children to her, a smile on her face as she did so. “Good morning, class! My name is Ms. Schumacher! Like shoemaker, but with a little twist! Can you say it with me?” The class repeats after her, and she continues to speak. “Unfortunately, we do have to do some work for this school year. But we can also play games! But, we don’t need to worry about work for today. Now, let’s get to introductions!” She seemed awfully chipper, yet it was somewhat comforting for Oliver. It’s nice to have some positivity for a change. One by one, the students introduced themselves, telling the class a bit about themselves and their interests. Then, it got to the one kid Oliver was suddenly playing tag with. Zeke. He was rather boisterous as he spoke.

“Hi! My name is Zeke Parker! I like playing video games, and I wanna make friends!” He did a goofy little dance, getting a nice laugh out of the kids, including Oliver himself. After a few more students, it was finally Oliver’s turn to introduce himself. Steadily standing himself up, he was quite nervous as he spoke.

“I-I’m Oliver Vallet.. I like games.. I like.. like to read.” 

“Awesome!” Zeke shouted out, brutally clapping until his palms grew red. 

“Now Zeke, let’s take the energy down a bit,” Ms. Schumacher advised. “I know you’re very excited, but we don’t want to go too crazy! Haha!” Everyone was just kind of laughing, leisuring in the classroom. After the introductions, everyone went off and kind of did their own thing. It already felt like it was getting more and more chaotic to Oliver, so all he could was just in the middle of the carpet, watching the children go wild. 

“Ms. Schumacher, Janet stole my Barbie!”

“It’s not yours, it’s from the toy shelf!”

“But I was playing with it!”

“Miss, can I go to sleep?”

“I wanna go home! I miss my mommy!”

Oh boy, the anarchy seemed to be growing. Oliver wasn’t exactly sure what to do in such a chaotic situation.. Suddenly, a broad arm reached out to tap him on the shoulder once more. Was it that boy yet again? The voice that belonged to the arm that reached out spoke boisterously. 

“Hey Oliver! Do you wanna play Duck Duck Goose with me?” Although Oliver was befuddled by this entire situation, and a bit nervous, perhaps he could get used to this. Zeke seemed like a very nice, welcoming kid, regardless of how loud and a bit obnoxious he seems. Maybe they could grow closer, and maybe Oliver could make one of his first friends.

“Duck… duck… duck,” A braided tentacled inkling girl emphasized the single syllable word, making the game feel eternal as she just continued to drag it on. Where’s the goose? Oliver doesn’t see the goose anywhere, and it’s getting a bit boring. Then, without any sort of warning, a small palm was placed gently atop of Oliver’s head, partnered along with an ecstatic, “Goose!” That was quite sudden, it caused Oliver to jump a bit despite being the one that was chasing the girl. Although he wasn’t the most fit, in certain situations, vigorously sprinting was somehow his forte. He managed to tag the girl back, and the game got more exciting from there. 

Now, how could he play this game and make it fun for everyone? He held out his words a bit, hoping to be able to catch someone off guard. Then, he realized; Zeke! Zeke seemed like a perfect target, for they were already getting closer. Zeke just seemed so fun to play with, so that he did!

What he did not realize was that Zeke was a literal barbarian. He runs at full speed towards Oliver, who barely gets a chance to escape. A funny experience it was, yet quite harrowing at the same time.

Lunch had rolled around, and for Oliver, that meant the perfect time for mac n cheese! He loved his Grandma’s mac n’ cheese, and he was ready to chow down! However, the minute he sat down with the rest of the class at the bright red table, unpacking the mac n’ cheese and scooping it in his mouth with a spork, he felt somewhat disgusted. He was appalled with the mushy taste of the mac n’ cheese. Does the lunch box not store mac n’ cheese that good? Regardless, lunch wasn’t the best time. At least not until Zeke came along to sit next to him, entertaining him once more.

Maybe, just maybe, school won’t be so bad. 

With that, as a week began to pass, Zeke and Oliver had grown to be surprisingly close, exchanging addresses to play with one another.


	5. Super Mario in Real Life

Those months have flown by surprisingly fast. It was already May of 2005, a special month for Oliver. For once, his birthday would truly feel like a party. Especially with all of the new friends he’s made, Oliver feels like he’s really at home. School had already ended, but it ended on a great note with friends to share.

But, so far, the days before his birthday have been going by painfully slow, like the drawl of a country man. Him, Lillith and Zeke were usually the fun, close trio that hung out with each other. Whether it would be playing a bunch of outdoor games, or absorbing their minds in their NES console, it was usually quite entertaining. However, lately, it’s felt dry and tasteless. The same thing during the summer vacation got surprisingly boring.

“Oliver, hurry up,” Lillith whined. “You’ve been hogging the game. It’s been an entire hour since I’ve gotten to play,” Oliver gave her an agitated side eye with his grunt of a response.

“No it hasn’t! I just got the game from you.”

“What?! No, it’s literally been so long,”

“No, it hasn’t! I’m trying to beat this level because it’s really hard,” Zeke then piped up,

“It only feels long because you cheat at the game, Lillith. You finish levels way before all of us!”

“I’ve played the game before, stupid! Clearly, you haven’t,” 

Grandma could overhear the growing commotion, and tried to make an attempt to calm it down. 

“Kids, I’m making chocolate chip cookies! They will be ready in about half an hour. Why don’t you all play outside for a bit?” The kids started to cheer at this news, happily trotting outside in hopes of busying themselves a bit easier. 

The Vallet grandparents’ backyard was a spacey one at that. It was big enough to be a mini playground with its swingsets and slide, along with a small Little Tikes car in the corner with a wrapped up hose. There weren’t too many things in the vast space, and it was mostly just a field of grass besides everything else that was there. So how would they entertain themselves? ‘Suddenly, Zeke had broken the small chattering amongst themselves. 

“Super Mario in real life!”

“What?” The siblings cocked their heads as they questioned him in unison.

“We can play Super Mario out here! I can be Bowser, Lillith can be the princess, and Oliver can be Mario!” Zeke wasn’t always the brightest of kids, but Oliver actually really liked that idea. You know what? Why not? Let’s go ahead and do this.

“Rawr!” Zeke was imitating funny little dragon noises, jumping around, his feet stomping on the ground with each time he jumped. Oliver, trying his best to mimic an Italian accent, fulfilled his role as Mario. 

“Don’t-a worry, Princess! Mario will-a save you!” He sprinted in the direction of Zeke, forming his hand as if he were shooting out fireballs while making shooting noises. “Pew pew!” He sounded out, jumping. Lillith could only laugh at the two boys being so goofy. From there, the door to the backyard had opened, and there was Grandma.

“Kids! Cookies are ready!” The children heard this, and bolted inside, ready to stuff their faces with these delicious cookies! 

Sitting at the dining room table, each of them were handed two cookies, immediately breaking them apart bit by bit and chewing on the bits. 

“Guys, I think my mom needs me to come home after this,” There was visible disappointment on Oliver’s face as Zeke said that. It was a shame whenever his close friend had to make his departure. Playing with him was so much fun. 

“Can you come back tomorrow?” Oliver asked him.

“Yeah, of course!” Then the nice, happy energy was back in the house once again. To be fair, the sun would probably set sometime soon.

After a bit of waiting around when they finished the cookies and spoke amongst themselves, there was a knock on the door, prompting Grandma to shuffle on over.

“Mrs. Parker! Hello! Are you here for Zeke?” The lady with her orange tentacles up in a somewhat messy, yet funnily gelatinous bun responded back with a bright smile. 

“Yep! Thanks so much for having him over! Did you have fun, my Zekey-poo?” Zeke, a flustered, angry little boy pouted at that.

“Mama, stop! You’re embarrassing me!” Everyone in the room could only laugh at the light-hearted exchange. 

“Well, I gotta get dinner ready. Thanks guys!” She beamed, then took a minute to face her attention to Oliver. “By the way, your birthday’s in a few days, right? That’s what I heard from your grandmother, of course.” Oliver nodded, and that’s when he noticed the bright neon celebration bag the woman was clutching in her right hand. Handing it over to his grandmother, she told him, “Zeke got you a present! You’ll promise to wait to open it though, right? It’s very special!” Although Oliver was antsy and wanted to open it right away, unable to contain his excitement, he vigorously nodded, a big grin on his face.

From there, the Parkers waved goodbye at the Vallets, Zeke’s hand taken with his mother’s as he looked back at Oliver for a minute. It was always a somewhat bittersweet moment when his playmate had to make his way back home.

“Oh dear, I forgot to ask if they wanted to take cookies home!” Grandma exclaimed, a bit guilty for not saying it earlier. However, as if on cue, there was a knock at the door once more. Were they coming back to ask to take some cookies home? It’s understandable, because Grandma’s cookies  **_fucking slap_ ** . They were gooey and just a tad bit undercooked, which is the  _ best  _ kind of cookie. However, once Grandma opened the door again in hopes of seeing Mrs. Parker, she got something different.

The surprise was quite unpleasant, to be honest. This was the last person she wanted to see, and once she saw who was at the door, her kind smile sank into a rather somber straight face. “You’re home quite early,” She said. That’s when Oliver realized, looking up from the ground, that it was a face he’d rarely ever get to see. 


	6. The Stench of Carelessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hate grandpa

That drunkard that was at the door was none other than the Vallet grandfather. As per usual when he’d actually come home, he smelled disgusting. Oliver couldn’t remember exactly what it is that he disliked about his grandpa so much, but it bothered him immensely. 

“Yep. They stopped the games early. Did you make anything for me?” Grandma’s face contorted a bit into fear, stammering but maintaining most of her composure as she spoke. 

“I didn’t really think about making anything for you, only because you normally don’t come home this early. I made cookies for the kids, though. Do you want some?” There was only dead silence for a bit, the air feeling disgustingly heavy. “Kids,” Grandma ushered the kids further down the hall. “Why don’t you go to your rooms for a bit?” Although they hesitated, they complied. Something always felt wrong whenever they were awake to see Grandpa. He seemed like a very grumpy, serious man. He rarely ever spoke to the children, and it didn’t really seem like he cared much about them. 

“Why don’t you ever make me something for when I come home, huh? Why do I have to starve because of you?” Grandma scoffed at that, trying her best to keep her cool. 

“You normally seem to eat while you’re out with your friends, so that’s why. Is that not true?” 

“Yeah, but not always. Some days, I’m left hungry,” Grandpa argued back. 

“I’m sorry about that, but by the time you come home, the kids and I are either getting ready to go to bed or already sleeping,” Grandpa could only laugh at that, a sneer in his voice as he spoke once more. 

“You’re extremely irresponsible, Greta. Do you want to keep this marriage? You’re not exactly a proper housewife, and it’s getting to be a problem.” Grandma couldn’t take it anymore. She was normally a very calm, soft-spoken and sweet woman, but her voice crackled as it became shrill with rage and agony. 

“I’m irresponsible? I’m irresponsible?! Arthur, who’s the one that is taking care of these children? Who’s the one that stays home all day and actually gives a damn about the kids? Who’s the one that doesn’t spend their days playing poker and drinking? I go to hell and back for this family, and even for you. Throughout this marriage, even after we had Elena, you’ve treated me like garbage! You do nothing for this household, and I don’t care about how it was like for you growing up. I’m a human being, and I’m sick of you using your fists to rid me of my right to speak-” 

That was the moment where she had regret not biting her tongue. 

To be truthful, Grandma has wanted to leave the marriage for the longest time. She wants to forgive and forget, and she wants to paint a smile on her face in hopes of not scaring her precious grandchildren. But, every time she’s reminded of this man, she just wants to give up completely.

She remembers it well when she first met him. They were both so youthful and happy, the sweetest love birds pretty much. Yet, after having their child over 20 years ago, their sweet newlywed relationship took some sort of spiral. Was it because Grandpa wasn’t ready for fatherhood? Because ever since that day, he’d actively avoid coming home to drown his feelings into a whole bunch of whiskey. Why did the once brightly beaming man turn into a monster in her own home?

It was rare that he came home, and for moments like these, she was thankful that it was rare. Unable to defend herself, she flailed her arms helplessly at the man that proceeded to knock her down flat onto her back. She tried so hard to pick herself up, but she couldn’t. Her eyes were misty with tears, writhing in pain as she tried with all her might to get up. To make her attempts even more painful and agonizing, Grandpa proceeded to kick the helpless woman that lay before him. 

“I only stay because there’s nowhere else to go. I don’t care for you or the grandchildren. You’ve got quite some damn nerve, not even being able to show some hospitality,” Grandma was seething, trying to help herself get up, yet to no avail. She managed to choke out,

“I can’t.. I can’t show someone like you any hospitality.. You aren’t welcome here.. You better find another place to stay.”

“I need a bed to rest on, you ungrateful bitch,” He swung his foot even harder against her feeble ribs. However, it all finally stopped. At last, his outburst had ended. It was moments like these that Grandma didn’t want anyone in her life anymore. “I’m going off to bed. I’m too exhausted to put up with this anymore. If you just listened to me more…” His voice faded away, and it seemed like everything was just dead silent for what felt like an eternity. Then, the silence was broken by a pitchy voice, and that was when Grandma bolted awake.

“Grandma? What happened?” Lillith had peeked her little head out of the hallway, checking up on the poor woman. When she saw how she was lying on the floor in absolute agony, she made no hesitation to reach her hand out to her, trying to pull her up while Grandma also lifted herself up. She managed to speak up to her concerned granddaughter. 

“Everything is fine, sweetie. Grandpa’s just grumpy.”

“Can he stay away from home? Everytime he comes here, it makes me sad,” Grandma could only chuckle bitter sweetly with her next response. 

“Lillith, that is something I’m not sure of. But, it’s ok. What matters is this will hopefully be the only time you see him.” 

Or at least that’s what she hoped.

  
  



	7. The Big Day

Mrs. Parker recalls that she left neatly folded invitations on the front step of everyone’s door. She was a key helper in Oliver’s birthday party, for it was difficult for Grandma to do a whole lot in the state she was in. However, as fragile as her body could be, it wouldn’t stop her from trying to help. On the back of the house, there were streamers that blew in the wind, colorful and proud. The backyard had a big water slide set up, as well as a bouncy house. In the front, there was a banner with Oliver’s name, and on the front steps were many different colorful, cute little designs scribbled out by different kids in the neighborhood. Balloons, the number 6, his name, so many things going on! On this lovely little morning, half past 9, Oliver was bound to wake up ecstatic. 

That is, if he can actually get up. That boy is so incredibly lazy. Lillith, of course, had to be the one to do so. Maybe this could be payback for practically screaming in her ear when they were going to get ready for the first day of school. She skipped her way down the hallway to her brother’s room, inching closer and closer to his rosy little ears while he snored softly.

Then..

“WAKEUPIT’SYOURBIRTHDAYWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPBIRTHDAYTIMEYEAHYEAHAHHHHH!!”

At this, Oliver jolted up, screeching at all of the noise. After practically falling out of his bed, he glared at Lillith while he pouted,  
“What the heck?! Why’d you wake me up?”  
“Because,” Lillith rolled her eyes. “it’s your birthday!!” Oliver couldn’t believe that time already passed by so quickly! His birthdays normally didn’t really feel like anything to remember, so that’s why he was so astounded for a minute. He freshened himself up a bit, getting dressed in a nice striped polo shirt and shorts combo, sprinting after his sister outside the door. What he saw before him had him beaming; his eyes were wide with opulent, silver stars in them.

“Happy Birthday, Oliver!” A choir of various different voices called out, followed by a barrage of claps. So many people had turned up to make this so special! His grandma was hunching over a bit, but seemed to stand proudly despite everything. Mrs. Parker looked as happy as ever, her son a clear reflection of her. A bunch of different classmates from his very first day of school showed up, some of his friends and even some of Lillith’s as well! Oliver was so overwhelmed, so overcome with happiness that tears began to fall gently down his cheeks.   
“Oh, sweetie,” Grandma had scuffled over to him and held him in a tight embrace. It was at that moment that Oliver knew that every birthday from there on out; it would be one hell of a party to remember. 

Spirits of water from a bunch of water guns were going off in a bunch of different directions. It was a funny sight to see. Some kids are trying to do funny tricks in the moon house, other kids practically flying down the waterslide. Oliver, however, was deeply engrossed in his water balloon and water gun fight with a group of kids, Zeke being one of them. Oliver already knew Zeke was a pretty strong kid, and that definitely showed when a water balloon was hurled at him at full speed, knocking him onto the ground. For a minute, he felt defenseless, writhing in pain. Regardless, he got right back up! A big splashy water balloon only hurts for a minute, so let’s continue the fun!

Oliver had to be precise with his aim, hiding behind a bush in hopes that he wouldn’t be bombarded. It was then that he found a perfect target; this one clueless looking inkling boy. If Oliver remembered correctly, his name was Jared. It was rare to see him actually pay attention to basically anything, and he seemed lost in his own mind and fantasies. He would always tell really interesting stories, and Oliver actually liked the kid. A lot of the other kids thought he was boring, but Oliver couldn’t help but get lost into thought whenever he would tell his stories.

Too bad that his stories don’t have any importance to slamming the water balloon onto his body. Mustering the strongest hand he could throw, he sent the balloon, spiraling like a torpedo as it crashed onto Jared’s stomach. Oliver smirked, satisfied with the giant splash and impact. “What the heck?!” Jared exclaimed. “That was cheating! I wasn’t looking!” Oliver started to giggle at the dumbfounded boy, running from the bush so maybe he wouldn’t give himself away.

Fat chance.

Oliver took this moment to reminisce about how grateful he was for the friends he made. He was rambling on about how thankful he was for the life that he had lived so far. He was happy for everything that improved over this past year, he really was.

“Get the birthday boy!” Was the last thing he heard before a violent invasion of water balloons and water gun squirts came his way. He let out one big scream as he was being soaked. Honestly, that was actually really funny. It was kind of scary to Oliver for a minute, suddenly being targeted by basically all of the guests at the party. But something about it felt so fun. It felt really energizing. 

Oliver recalls that after drying himself up and having cake with all of the kids, his birthday present from Zeke was something he could finally open. What he had gotten out of the nice little bag had his eyes glimmering, bright yellow stars.

“A.. a..” Oliver couldn’t even finish his sentence due to how astonished he was, and Zeke piped up.   
“I got you a DS!” That was all he needed to say, for Oliver found himself sprinting towards his best friend, embracing him tightly and thanking him a billion times. This day, Oliver would remember forever. It would make him forever grateful to have the best friend he could ask for.


	8. Down the Street

The year was 2010, sometime in July. School would start pretty soon, and Oliver was feeling that wave of anxiety he felt in kindergarten. Except this time, it felt much more intense. It was making him extremely uncomfortable with how petrified he was, and he didn’t understand it. Another difference is that he’d be going into middle school. Would someone like him be able to make it through middle school? Another thing that’s been on his mind since 5th grade had ended. 

Oliver didn’t get a phone until after school had ended, which was around his 11h birthday. Because of this, he thinks about how he never got a chance to come back and try to..

_ “My mom’s not really happy with where we live. She wants to get a bigger house somewhere else in the state,” _

_ “What? So you’re gonna be in a completely different city?” _

_ “Not sure about that yet.. We might move out to the  _ **_biiiig_ ** _ city,” _

_ “You mean.. right outside of Inkopolis Square? Are there even any schools near there?” _

_ “Y’know, I’m not really sure. I don’t wanna move, to be honest. But my mom has always wanted a really big fancy house, maybe an apartment even,” _

_ “Do you know which middle school you’ll be going to yet? What if I don’t see you again?” _

_ “I’m really sorry man, I don’t have any answers yet. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see you or any of my other friends again,”  _

_ “Oh.. Well, the time we had was nice. Are you gonna forget about me if you go to another school?” _

_ “Nuh uh! You’re my best friend!” _

_ “You’re my best friend!.....” _

Oliver couldn’t control himself anymore at that point. He was in shambles, bawling his eyes out. One of his bestest friends that he made over the time elementary school was going on, and he might never be able to see him again. What possibility would there be to see someone who’s moving out to such a big city? For all he knows, Zeke could become famous when he grows up. He seems like the type that would be a face everyone could pinpoint worldwide. Oliver has always felt a little out of place, and kind of inferior compared to other people. But it wasn’t something he realized he had felt so strongly until recently, and it was killing him. He mercilessly wept into his pillow, screeching in between sobs. Before he could continue to wail even harder, he heard his door creak open without at least a single little knock. Through his dreary, blurry mind, he could kind of easily guess that Lillith was probably entering his room, and to be quite honest, he didn’t have the energy or time to deal with whatever snarky remarks she had. 

“Are you still crying?”

“What do you think?” Oliver sneered while holding back his blubbering. 

“Well, good to know you’re continuing to be a joy since you got out of school. Anyways,” Lillith continued. “Did you know that there’s an orphanage down the street?”

“No..?” Oliver cocked his head to the side, confused as to why she would just randomly bring that up. “Why are you now telling me about this? What’s the point?”

“Well, starting at 11 years old, you can hang out with the smaller kids. I guess it kind of gives them an opportunity to have some older sibling in some sort of way,”

“Hm,” Oliver was actually kind of interested in that. He wasn’t one that was super fond of little kids, but he can’t help but feel bad for those who aren’t so fortunate. 

“Wanna come help out with me?”

“Why not? Sure, I’ll go ahead,” Maybe hanging with these kids might help his mood a bit. Then again, these are younger kids, so Oliver’s not really sure what to expect from them. They’re not going to be able to replace the friends he had made over the years. Some little kids will probably only end up feeling like having an annoying younger sibling. It probably won’t be fun at all. Oliver can already feel himself second guessing everything, stepping out of the house absolutely miserable. 

Despite it being down the street, the walk felt like a rather sluggardly 10 minutes. However, they have finally reached the door, taking it upon themselves to invite themselves in. They end up coming into what honestly looked like a pretty cozy, small home. There were toys practically scattered all over the floor, but it wasn’t very surprising. After a bit of waiting around, out came a tall man in an apron and uniform, a little girl in tow. 

“Do you two not have a home?” Oliver gave him a slight side eye, kind of hoping he wouldn’t catch it, but that was quite a comment. Lillith spoke up,

“No, we do. We’re here for the program.”

“The Big Sibling program?”

“Yep,”

“Well, I got one special girl you can take care of for an hour! Please remember to return her back to the orphanage in due time,” 

“Of course!” Lillith smiled, watching the young girl get a bit closer. That’s when Oliver got a moment to observe her, for she looked somewhat.. strange.

She looked very young, like maybe 4 or younger, to be honest. Parts of her face were goopy, droopy and melting a little bit. Like teardrops of the color of her skin that continued to cling on for dear life. On the top of her head sits a bunch of sea urchin spines, standing erect and proud. Right under lies her tentacles, not gelatinous and thick like most inkling’s. You could tell that she was somewhat an inkling, but her tentacles were hundreds of stringy, cyan strands that have an inkling’s common dark tints at the ends. The worker took a moment to give a brief explanation.

“A lot of the little ones around here are only children, and they never got a chance to have that one special brother or sister figure to look up to. For example, this little one… well, we don’t exactly know her real name. But we call her Urchin. We think she’s part inkling, but we’re not exactly sure. We do know that she’s part sea urchin, however, hence the nickname. We don’t know much about Urchin’s past, but we can guess her mama and papa weren’t up to be the best parents they could be. But, I’m sure you can be a great friend, and maybe even better siblings to her! Usually, we’ll pay younger kids $10 to watch the orphans, but for this case.. it’ll take a little bit of extra work. So, we’ll give you $20 when you come back.”

“Alright,” Lillith said. “Sounds good! Welp, let’s go guys.”

  
  


The walk around the neighborhood was uncomfortably silent. It was incredibly awkward, but Oliver would feel bad if Lillith had to execute all the conversation.

“So,” Oliver began. “Do you wanna tell us about yourself?” He felt Urchin’s hand in his palm stiffen at that, kind of understanding that the question caused her some sort of discomfort. He’s not sure if he’s gonna get anything from her, but it doesn’t hurt to try. 

“I want to go home,” She spoke up.

“Home?” Lillith piped up, a bit confused.

“Do you mean back to the orphanage?” Oliver inquired. Urchin swiftly shook her head at that. 

“Well.. you don’t really have a home,” Lillith tried to explain, earning her a hard little smack from Oliver’s hand. 

“Lillith! You don’t need to put it like that!” He sneered.

“I want to see my mommy and daddy,” The young girl spoke up once more.

“Where are they?” The question Oliver asked made her silent for a moment, then she responded at last.

“All I remember is that my daddy died after I was born. My mommy was really upset. I came from deep into the ocean, so all I really remember was that my mommy brought me here and never came back. No one in the orphanage really talks to me that much. Actually, some of the kids aren’t very nice to me.”

“Why would they be mean to you?” Oliver was actually really interested in this kid’s story. He couldn’t help but feel kind of bad for her. No one deserves to be abandoned, and it’s like she saw himself in her eyes. 

“They call me a mutt because of the way I look. I don’t think they’ve seen mixed species before.. Still, it hurts. The workers don’t even do anything about it, either,” There was a dead silence for a moment, probably to give Urchin a second to think about the situation for a moment. 

“What do you think you’re gonna do about it? I feel really bad, cause no one, especially a little kid, deserves to be in a situation like that anyways,”

“I want to run away,”

It was at that moment that everything seemed to really hit Oliver. No one deserves abandonment. No one deserves this treatment. Oliver didn’t understand the point of belittling someone just because they’re more than one fucking species. It’s pointless, and it makes no sense to push someone so hard. 

Oliver had made up his mind. He would make a commitment to be the best big brother he could be. It was all just a pitiful sight, and that’s when Lillith spoke up after not participating in the conversation for a certain period of time.

“I’m not sure if you’re able to stay at our house.. We’ll try to find something, but-“

“Lillith, she needs a place to stay,”

“Ok, but if grandpa finds out about another kid, someone’s gonna get hurt. Do you want that?”

Oliver hesitated for a moment. 

It seems like all of the kids over there have had their dinner and done whatever routine they were. They were probably off to bed soon anyways. Although he would feel immensely guilty for it, perhaps a day outside for her wouldn’t be too bad? She seemed like she needed to get away, anyways.

“I can stay outside for now. Thank you guys for keeping me company,” She gave a rather dull looking smile, parting ways with the Vallet children.

Oliver felt an atrocious feeling in his gut as he was walking back home with his sister. If his stupid fucking Grandpa didn’t come home so late, better yet, didn’t come home at all, this girl could be happy. If he learnt about how the house was more lively, he could do something terrible.

His grandma has endured so much, and he doesn’t know when Grandpa will just leave already.

All he can hope is that the kid finds a temporary home. She doesn’t belong in these streets. It’d be awful if something happened..


End file.
